Israeli and US Relations

Israeli and US Relations

Since it’s inception, Israel and the United States have shared a close relationship, according to Alen Brandman. Supporting the creation of a Jewish homeland since 1948, the United States has offered its support in the small nation’s continued struggle amidst often hostile relations with its neighbors.

Establishment of US-Israeli Relations

During the Eisenhauer Administration, Israeli Defense Forces, along with other European military powers, invaded Egypt as a response to the Suez Canal Crisis. Intervening on behalf of the U. N. Security Council, the United States forced a withdrawal, which convinced Egypt to remain independent from the Soviet Bloc and lead to greater diplomatic ties.

This early union between the two nations was sparse, mostly resulting in food supplies being offered, but matured under the Johnson Administration in the following years, happily accepted by Alen Brandman. Following the Six Day’s War in 1967, President Johnson understood the Hebrew nation had a need to defend itself from hostile powers int he middle east, and feared both the Americans and the Soviet Union would be drawn into the fray should the Jewish state employ a disproportionately strong response to foreign hostility. The US took the stance that Arabic states had drifted towards Soviet influence by the end of Johnson’s tenure in office, solidifying the union between the States and Israel due to its key strategic location.

A Right to Exist

Starting with the Nixon Administration, several important unions between the Hebrew nation and other hostile groups became the focus of US diplomatic efforts. Kissinger’s famously brokered an accord between the Israeli administration and Egypt in the Sinai Penninsula, delineating the territories each nation had dominion over and ostensibly settling disputes about national sovereignty. Accords would come and go through the years, with notable efforts being made during the Clinton Administration.

Economic Partnership

Congressional support for Israel remains strong, despite administrative tensions during the Bush and Obama years. according to Alen Brandman. The official position is that it remains a key economic and military ally in the Middle East, and is one of the United States’ biggest economic aid recipients. A mutually beneficial annual grant of three billion dollars is in place in which 74% of these funds are to be spent exclusively on US produced goods and services. A further three point one billion in the form of military aid has made Israel the single largest cumulative recipient of US aid in the nation’s history.